Mama’s Punjabi Recipes – Jaldi se Baingan da Bhartha (Easy-To-Make Spicy Eggplant Puree)
Eggplant are among the most popular vegetables cooked all over the world, but the main reason for its widespread appeal is that, when sliced and cooked, they can soak in the taste of the sauce or spices while the outside skin holds the pulp together. In the Punjab, the large, round or elongated plump eggplants […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes – Khichdi (Rice & Lentils)
Khichdi is a dish found all over India and its pronunciation varies in every state as do some of its ingredients. It is basically made from rice and dal (lentils) and is commonly considered an easy to cook comfort food, although in some instances it is served as a main course. My son reminds me […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes – Hatch Pepper Di Sabzi (Sauteed Hatch Pepper)
In the southern US, a large green pepper which is very hot is usually available during the summer months in large quantities. These are called “hatch peppers” and for six weeks are plentiful and really inexpensive. In India, these types of peppers are not available, and the closest thing is bell peppers which aren’t as […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes – Pethe Di Sabzi (Sauteed Pumpkin)
Although the biggest use of petha (pumpkin) in India is to make the white, crystallized delicacy made famous in Agra, in North India we also make not only the sweet petha da halwa but a regular, salted, spicy dish that all love to eat with roti and paranthas. In the US, during the Halloween season […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes – Pethe Da Halwa (Pumpkin Halwa)
When an Indian – especially a North Indian – thinks of petha (pumpkin), their first thought goes towards the famous white, crystallized petha of Agra where entire shops are devoted to various flavors of this sweet delicacy and not one street is without a pethawala. Agra petha is so well known and popular that when […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes – Coconut di Burfi (Coconut Milk Squares)
Burfi is one of the most common and popular confections in India and is widely available all over India. It’s a favorite of little kids in particular as they can gobble up the burfi pieces which are cut into squares or diamond shapes. When my kids were little, they would call my younger brother burfi […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes – Nimbu ka Khatta Mittha Achaar Namak Bina
Most achaars (pickles) are full of salt and made with lots of mustard oil and if you are on a diet or watching your salt intake, you certainly cannot eat them. The craving for a good pickle still will tempt you and this recipe for nimbu achaar is just the right one for you as […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes – Channe Di Dal Te Ghia (Split Channa Lentils & Squash)
There are only a few vegetables that can be combined with dal (lentils) that bring together a good balance of the two ingredients, but the trick is in finding them and making the dish appealing and tasty. In this manner, sag (spinach) can be made with a small handful of split moong dal but nowadays, […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes – Sabat Mahn Di Dal (Whole Urad Or Mahn Lentils)
This dal is probably the most well-known one in the whole world, thanks to its extensive use in restaurants and served as “Dal Makhani” (Butter Dal). It is a black colored dal – also known as urad dal – which is served at just about every Indian buffet in a universally cooked recipe, and is […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes – Dhuli Moong Di Dal (Skinless Split Moong Lentils)
Dhuli moong dal is one dal that many people really like because it can be easily made but just as many people dislike it because it is made too carelessly and dissolves into a soup. It is one of the favored dals of religious places and when there are large groups of people to feed, […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes – Sabat Moong Di Dal (Whole Moong Lentils)
Dals are the mainstay of Indian diet, whether you are in the north or south, east or west – providing much needed protein – and each region has its own way of making them. But nowhere will you find the heartiness and flavorful taste of dals as you would in the Punjab. Punjabi dals are […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes – Soya Bean Te Palak Da Omlet (Soybean & Spinach Omelette)
For those who don’t eat ande (eggs) but need to have extra protein in the diet, this vegetarian dish can be very nourishing and satisfying, as it looks, cooks and fluffs up like an omelette and also it is very easy and fast to make. About 25 years ago, small, one-inch round soybean wadiyan (dumplings) […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes – Aaloo Di Bhurji (Chopped Potato & Onion Sautee)
The lowly aaloo (potato) is probably one of the most commonly eaten vegetable in the world and is certainly one of the cheapest. It is found just about everywhere; there are stunted, small varieties found even among the sand soils of the desert in Rajasthan and West Africa where potatoes are especially pricey. Due to […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes – Sarson ka Saag (Mashed Mustard Greens)
Due to popular request by several readers, this recipe is being re-printed. Sarson ka saag (mashed mustard greens) is a dish that even those not from the Punjab know very well for its wonderful slightly bitter taste and the wonderful, thick makki di roti (corn flour bread) that it is devoured with. If you add […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes – Letti Halwa (Thin Wheat Flour Pudding)
If a true Punjabi was served halwa – especially suji halwa (semolina halwa) or atte da halwa (wheat flour halwa), his first reaction would be “Kyon, ki manande peye han?” or “What are we celebrating?” because halwa, in Punjabi society, is usually made to commemorate a special occasion, glad tidings or a stroke of good […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes – Mooli da Parantha (White Radish Parantha)
You can make Punjabi paranthas with just about any kind of stuffing, as long as they are vegetables, although I have heard that there are some keema pranthas too, but that is an exception. Each type of vegetable requires a different type of masala (spice mixture) and also preparation of the vegetables as well as […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes – Dus Minit De Chole (Ten-Minute Chickpeas)
If you have the craving for some Punjabi-style chole, with the dark coloring and thick gravy but are put off by the time that it takes to make them, then this recipe is for you. It’s an easy way to make this chole recipe – also called Kabuli chole – in just ten-minutes and still […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes – Gobi da Parantha (Cauliflower Parantha)
Everyone has a favorite type of Punjabi parantha, although some, like aloo (potato) paranthas have become quite common all over India and even crossed over into other regional cuisines. Some special paranthas are still very much Punjabi delicacies, like the phul gobi (cauliflower), mooli (white radish) or gajjar (carrot) ones, all of which require better […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes – Moong Daal Sabat Da Poodda (Whole Moong Daal Pancakes)
Daals are the mainstay of the majority of India and so many different ways of preparing it have developed over time. Instead of a plain daal dish with the curry, it is possible to make daal dry or ground and then fashioned into different items, like bhallas (salty puffs), namkeen laddus (salty nuggets) or pooddas […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes – Sugar Ki Dava (Sugar Control Home Remedy)
(This recipe was first published in December 2012 and is being repeated by popular demand) Diabetes has become a worldwide epidemic among Indians, and especially gets manifested when they reach mid-life and beyond. Our Indian diet which is rich in foods that are fried, have triggered high triglycerides rates among Indians and since these are […]
